Shadows Wrapped in Lies
by Court of the Dragon
Summary: After Joey was killed by a strange murderer nicknamed The Shadowman, Serenity has felt lost and lonely. Who was this man? Would she ever find out? Meanwhile, Yami is starting to like Serenity...
1. The Shadow Man

Hi guys, this is my new fic. I wanted to pick something unique, so I just let my fingers do the talking, and typed whatever came to mind. Let me know what you think.-Court of the Dragon

Note: In this story, Yami and Yugi have separate bodies.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Serenity was walking home, alone. It was 10:00 at night, and she had just left a party at her friend, Christine's house. As she walked down the streets of Domino, she began remembering things she never wanted to remember, never wanted to know. It seemed that nothing in the world could ease her pain.

It happened 1 year ago, but she remembered it like it was just yesterday, that she was walking home, on a night much like this, that she passed an alley, and heard a heartstabbing shriek of pain. One, that she recognized. It used to read her stories before bed when she was younger, it would hold her when she was full of grief. It was always looking out for her, when she needed it most. She ran down the street, and into an alley, and found her brother lying on the ground, his eyes wide, his face grey, blood pouring from his eyes, mouth, and fingertips. He was never coming back. She looked for who had done such a thing to her brother. She saw a shadowy man walk down the street. She ran after him, but he made no attempt in stopping her. As soon as she was close enough to grab him, he was gone.

Murder stories very similar to this were popping up all over the news, people being cornered in dark alleys, and never coming out alive. It was very strange. Everybody who found the body claimed that they had seen the same shadowy man, and he had, in fact, disappeared when they came close. Nobody could explain how he disappeared, or how he even killed his victims. The bodies were inspected, but nobody knew what the murder could have done. The bodies hadn't been stabbed, shot, poisoned, anything. They just bled and died.

Serenity passed the alley. She didn't care what happened anymore. She walked into it, expecting the worst, but no one was there. She stared at the bloodstained walls, a chill going up her spine. She stepped forward, and heard a clink of metal. She looked down, and saw a silver dog tag, stained red. She picked it up, and felt paper on the back. She turned it over, and she stared back at her happy face. She couldn't take it anymore. Serenity collapsed on her knees, and began to cry.


	2. Lost

Serenity lay there, thinking into space. It might've been hours, but who cares? There's no point in living anymore anyway. A bright light flashed down the alley. Serenity turned around, squinting. She heard a young, familiar voice.

"Hey, there's someone in here! I think it's Serenity!"

"Oh, great."

"Come on, Seto!"

Mokuba ran into the alley, dropping his flashlight. He grabbed Serenity's hand.

"Are you ok? Serenity?"

Serenity said nothing. Maybe if she didn't answer, then they'd go away.

"I think something's wrong with her, Seto. We should take her to Kaiba Corperation. Please, can we?"

Seto sighed. "Whatever. Just come on."

As Seto began to walk away, Mokuba pulled Serenity up. She followed him, only when he pulled her. They made their way slowly back to Kaiba Corp.

As they waited in the elevator in Kaiba Corp, Mokuba looked at Serenity's eyes. They wore a blank expression. Mokuba looked down.

"Seto."

"What?"

"I think she's lost."

Seto looked down at Mokuba, a little surprised. Mokuba felt sorry for her. _"Well, I guess she's not all bad."_ Seto thought. They reached the top floor, and the elevator door opened. Mokuba led Serenity to a room. There was a window next to a white bed, with white walls, and a dark blue carpet. Mokuba led Serenity to the bed.

"You can rest here until tomorrow, ok?" He smiled at her, trying to lift her spirits. She did not answer. He frowned, worried, and walked out of the room, shutting the door.

Serenity awoke from her trance, and looked around her room. No friends, no family, just her. She was finally alone. She couldn't take it. There was no point in living. She looked over at the window. She got up, and unlocked it, lifting it open...

Yugi, Tristen, Yami, Duke, and Tea were all upstairs in Yugi's room, at the card shop, 'Game'. Yugi was typing on a new laptop, and Yami was dueling Tristen, while Tea watched. Duke was reading a magazine about Dungeon Dice Monsters. Tristen's cell phone rang. He grabbed it, flipping it open.

"Hold on Yami. Hello? Oh, hi Mrs. Wheeler. No, why? Two hours ago? Oh, no. You mind if we help? Ok. Ok, I'll talk to you later." Tristan closed his phone. "We've got some bad news, guys. Serenity's been missing since 10:00." Yugi looked up from his laptop.

"10:00? It's 12:23 now! We need to get going!" Just as Yugi said this, an envelope appeared on his computer screen. A digital voice spoke. "One message from Seto Kaiba." Yugi clicked it, and a recording opened, with Seto speaking.

"Hey geeks, in case you're wondering, you're friend Serenity is here at Kaiba Corp. I suggest you get her now, because I'm not keeping her very long!" Yugi deleted the message. Tea stood up.

"Well, what are we waiting for? We need to go now!" Duke looked up from his magazine. "I'll drive," he said. They all got up, and left the room.


	3. An Arguement

"Kaiba can be a real jerk sometimes," said Tristan, as they were driving to Kaiba Corp.

"Yeah, tell me about it," said Duke. "He can't even keep Serenity for one night. What did she ever do to him?"

"Absoloutely nothing," said Yami. They almost passed Kaiba Corp. until Duke stomped his foot on the break pedal, shoving everyone forward. Tristan nearly went through the windshield. Duke looked at him.

"Is it that hard to put a seatbelt on?" Tristan muttered something under his breath. As they got out of the car, Tea screams and pointed to the top of the corperation. Serenity was falling, fast.

"SERENITY!"

Immediately, the boys ran under her, to catch her. She ended up landing on Yami, who fell over in the grass. He grabbed her shoulder.

"Serenity! Are you ok?" Serenity looked up at Yami. They stared at each other for a long time. Yami understood. He spoke.

"I'm sorry, Serenity, but the freedom you were looking for, I cannot give." Serenity broke out in tears, hugging Yami tight. Duke looked down at them.

"What are you talking about, Yami?" Yami got up, pulling Serenity with him.

"Oh, she was just trying to be with her brother, that's all."

Tristen was shocked. "You mean, she was committing suicide? Serenity, why would you do such a thing?" He asked. It was Duke's turn to speak.

"Yeah, Serenity, I mean, your brother died a year ago, there's nothing do about that, so just get over-"

"ENOUGH!" Yami roared. His face was red with pure anger. He grabbed Duke by the collar, hard. Duke stood there, frightened. "HAS ANYBODY CLOSE TO YOU DIED BEFORE?" Duke shook his head, scared. "THEN, DON'T YOU EVER TELL REN TO GET OVER IT, EVER! NOW, GO TO BED AND LEAVE HER ALONE!" And with that, Yami let go of Duke, and walked off into the night, leaving the others standing there, Serenity thinking deeply.

"I don't get it," Tea said. She was in Yugi's room, talking to him. It was the next morning, and everyone else had gone home. Yami, however, did not return. "I've never seen Yami so angry. He looked like he wanted to kill Duke."

Yugi looked up at her. "Maybe he knows what death is like. I never asked him if anybody he knew died, or if he remembered. Even if he didn't experience a death, I agreed with him last night. Duke shouldn't be talking like that."

"And, I though Duke and Tristen liked Serenity," said Tea.

"They do care about her. But, they just don't understand. Things like that permanently damage your heart, and sometimes, your mind." He left Tea to think about what he said, and he walked downstairs for breakfast.

Duke walked out of his home, and sat on his porch. He felt like a total jerk after last night. He thought that he should go apologize. He stopped by a rose bush, and grabbed a red rose. He made his way to Serenity's house.

When he got there, he knocked on the door. He wasn't sure what he was going to say. Should he just say sorry for being a jerk last night? Would she buy it? Serenity opened the door. "Oh...hi Duke." Duke was about to say it, until he looked inside. Yami was sitting on the couch. Now it was Duke's turn to be mad. He faced Serenity.

"Well, I hope you two have a lot of fun," he said, and he slammed the door in her face. He continued walking down the street, feeling even sicker than before.


	4. Red Against White

Duke walked down the street, anger and guilt churning his stomach. He decided that he would go apologize to the only person he could, Joey. He remembered all of the times he teased Joey. He can't feel guilty, nobody knew Joey was going to leave. It wasn't supposed to happen at all. He would refuse to say that Joey didn't deserve to live longer, no matter what. It just wasn't right.

Duke turned and walked past the cemetery gates. Joey's grave was somewhere in the back. He walked further, and he saw somebody. Mai was at the grave, tears falling down her face. Of course, this must really be hard for her. She never flat out admitted it, but she loved Joey to the core. Duke walked up to her. He thought that she would walk away, but she just stared at the grave. Then, she spoke.

"I never told him how I felt. I should've. And now, it's too late." Duke stood by her.

"You shouldn't feel so bad, Mai. I think he knew, anyway. There are some things that you can't say with words." Mai thought about these words, and the memories with Joey she remembered. How he fought so hard to save her twice. He cared that much, to put his own life on the line. He was a true friend, and sadly, she had denied that. Her tears began to flow faster at the thought. Duke patted her back.

"He probably felt guilty about things too, Mai." Mai suddenly hugged Duke tight, and cried.

"It was my fault that he got hurt, My fault that he's-" Duke put his hand on Mai's mouth.

"Don't ever say that, Mai. It wasn't your fault that he's not here, and it never will be." Mai let go of Duke, her eyes sad. She took a white rose off of a nearby bush, and dropped it on Joey's grave. Duke took the red rose that he meant to give to Serenity, and he dropped it on top of the white one.

"Goodbye," said Mai, and she walked away silently.

"I'm sorry too," said Duke, and he also walked out of the cemetery, tears falling down his face. He rubbed them away, and walked off.


	5. Love is Spoken Here

Yami sat on the couch, listening to Serenity tell him about her feelings on Joey's death.

"I wanted to invite you guys to the funeral, but my mom wanted it to be just a family one. It made me so angry, because I know that Joey would've wanted his friends to go. Well, it didn't go too well for me anyway. Before the funeral, we visited him at the mortuary. They had cleaned him up, and made him look nice, he wasn't grey and bloody. In fact, he just looked asleep, only, he was wearing a nice suit, which I also didn't like. My own parents were getting Joey all wrong."

Yami listened to all of this, because it was making Serenity feel a lot better. As she talked, it looked like she was getting calmer and calmer. Healing. He continued listening.

"I touched his hand. It was stone cold, and it was so frightening, I couldn't hold back tears. If you stared at his eyes enough, it looked like they were trying to open. That was the only hope I had now, and it wasn't good enough to bring him back."

Yami hugged Serenity tight. "It wasn't your fault, Ren. He died, but you still have your whole life ahead of you. You'll never forget about him, but you will feel better about it as life goes on. Trust me."

Serenity told Yami that at the funeral, she had gotten so upset that she yelled that she was going to kill the murderer, even if she died doing it. As her mother came up to calm her down, she ran off back to her house, and buried her face in her pillow. Yami smiled at Serenity.

"Ren, you are the most hopeful, and courageous person that I know. You probably don't know how special you are. This world needs more people like you."

"But, Yami, I gave up. I couldn't keep going last night, it seemed pointless."

"Lucky that we were there for you. You can always count on us to be there, Serenity, because we care. We were Joey's friends too, and we still are. We're not going to give up on you that easily. You felt hopeless, and we're here to give you hope, to save you. Serenity..."

Yami's voice trailed off, and Serenity's lips met his. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever felt. They stood there for who knows how long, it seemed like hours. And then, Yami heard something. It wasn't bad though, it was beautiful, but the notes and words weren't exactly clear, they didn't know what was going to happen in the future. Sometimes they went from high to low in a second, as fast as it takes for your whole life to change. But, even as Yami listened to it, it was very true, that he and Serenity both knew, that love was spoken here.


	6. Smudges

Yugi and Tea sat on a bench in front of the arcade. They decided that they'd let Yami get home on his own. They were waiting for Tristen to meet them there.

"If you ask me, Yugi, this Shadow guy is pretty scary. How does he do it? You'd think that somebody with that kind of a weapon would've been caught by now. What if he finds a way to kill more people at once?"

"We can't worry about that, Tea. It would be too much stress for us. We just have to lock our doors at night, and have hope." This didn't seem to be convincing Tea.

"But Yugi, didn't they say that the Shadowman disappears when you get close? Can't he use that power to get into our homes?"

"Tea, you're getting too deep into this. First off all, it's not a power, it's probably some sort of gadget. He only attacks in dark alleys. And besides, what if he's not the murderer? We see him and assume it, when we see no blood on him, or a weapon at hand. What if he's just trying to figure out who's doing this himself?"

"But Yugi, even if the Shadowman is innocent, the murderer is still killing people without getting caught, and that's the real power in this situation. If the Shadowman is innocent, then why, and how, does he flee?"

"Because, he's innocent, and he knows that they think he's the killer. He has something that he doesn't want to show to us."

"Yeah, evidence," Tea muttered.

They looked up the street, to see Tristen and Duke walking together. They were talking. They saw Yugi and Tea, and sat down next to them. Duke was very annoyed.

"So, he still hasn't showed up?" said Tris. "What if something bad happened to him?"

"Oh, he's just fine," said Duke. "I saw him earlier." The others looked at Duke, surprised.

"You saw him? Where?" asked Tea.

"At Serenity's," said Duke. Tristen looked down and bit his lip. "Yeah, exactly how I feel, Tris."

"Oh, come on you guys, don't be such babies about it, they were probably just talking. Don't jump to conclusions so fast," Tea said. Duke and Tristen both folded their arms. "Besides, should you really be fighting this much just for a girl?"

"Well, maybe you should consider telling that to Yami sometime," Duke snapped. "That reminds me, I saw somebody else. I saw Mai at the cemetery."

"That's no surprise, we all know that Mai had a thing for Joey," said Tristen.

"Yeah, and she felt really bad. She never told him how she felt."

"Well, maybe if she didn't work for Dartz last year-," Tristen muttered. Tea stood up.

"Now, hold on a minute! Mai has the same feelings that we do, Tristen. She made a mistake with her life, but she's still a person."

"Well, she didn't act like she loved Joey then," Tris said.

"No duh Tristen, the Orichalcos was taking over her mind, the reason why she felt guilty in the first place," said Duke. "She's sorry now, she knew that she made a mistake, and it's over now. Just get over it." Duke walked into the arcade. The others followed.

Seto paced in his office. For him, it was just another boring day at work. He sat down. As he did, Mokuba walked in.

"Hey Seto."

"Hi, Mokuba." After a while, they didn't say anything. Mokuba looked up.

"Seto, what do you think about the Shadow guy who's been murdering people?" Seto looked up.

"There's not any evidence that he did it, Mokuba."

"And, there's no evidence that anyone else did. Why would he leave then?"

"Probably because he doesn't want to attract attention to himself. Why are you asking this now Mokuba, I'm working, and I went to bed later than I wanted to."

"Sorry," said Mokuba, and he walked out of the office. As he thought about what Seto said, he was looking at a monster card in his hand. It was Peten the Dark Clown. At the bottom corner, there were black smudges. Mokuba pocketed it, and walked downstairs.


	7. Heartsong

Disclaimer: I didn't write the lyrics to the song below, and they're not mine. I decided to put this in, because the lyrics fit so well with the story. The song is called Fukai Mori (Deep Forest).

Yami and Serenity were sitting in front of the fireplace, watching the flames flicker. They hadn't said anything for a while, until Yami said, "Did your mom ever sing you a lullaby when you were little?"

"Well, she actually hummed it," said Serenity. Serenity lay down and hummed. Yami closed his eyes, and once again heard a familiar song that tugged at his heartstrings. He imagined a picture of what the afterworld might be like. When Serenity was done, he said, "That was beautiful. Do you sing?"

"Well, I used to be in choir," said Serenity. "I guess I could sing you a song. Do you have a request?"

"No. Sing whatever you please."

"Ok." After a few minutes, Serenity chose a song that she had heard in a movie. She sang softly.

_There must still be the soul that you have left behind, hidden somewhere_

_In the deep deep of the forest lying among the trees_

_People who are too tired they just don't look around, any farther_

_They disappear into the eternal darkness of a foreign place_

_Could we still have seen if we were there?_

_Could we have seen it if it were little?_

_Go on with our lives and lose those things behind._

_Wrapped around in lies, we stand there voiceless._

_We want to leave our lives, until we find a way._

_Searching for the light for eternity._

_Things are passing and changing and moving around,_

_But the colors of the sky,_

_Still remain the same, as we used to know,_

_Every single day._

_We are running so free now, ignoring the risk_

_The limits that we had._

_Leave our fears behind, take another chance._

_Our souls will live again._

_If we could catch the rhythm of time,_

_We could probably fly so high._

_Could we still have seen if we were there?_

_Could we have seen it if it were little?_

_Go on with our lives, and lose those things behind._

_Wrapped around in lies, we stand there voiceless._

_We want to leave our lives, until we find a way._

_Searching for the light for eternity_

_Go on with our lives, and lose those things behind._

_Wrapped around in lies, we stand there voiceless._

_We want to leave our lives, until we find a way._

_Searching for the light for eternity_

As the song ended, Serenity cried a little. Yami held her close. "That was also beautiful," He said. Serenity held his arm, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Yami?"

"Yes?"

"Don't leave yet."

"Don't worry. I won't."


	8. Evidence and Lies

Mokuba walked into his room, and shut the door. He looked at the card again. What were those smudges from? Were they anything imporant at all? Something inside Mokuba told him that he should keep looking for answers. He stared at the card longer. Wait, what if those smudges aren't black? He grabbed a tissue, and dabbed it in a glass of water next to his bed. He rubbed some of the smudges off, and looked at the tissue. Sure enough, the tissue was red. _"I gotta tell Seto about this,"_ Mokuba thought. and he went into the other room. Seto's door was closed. Mokuba knocked.

"What do you need, Mokuba?"

"I need to show you something."

"In a minute." There were loud noises as Seto moved something, and was shoving it in his closet. He opened the door. "Come in."

Seto's room had so many devices in it, no wonder he was cramming stuff in his closet for more room. Mokuba walked carefully around them, and stood by Seto. He was sitting at his desk, typing on his computer. A shredder, a printer, and a wastebasket were in the left corner, next to the computer. "So, what do you want to show me?" Mokuba held up the card.

"This card has blood stains on it." Seto took it from Mokuba, and looked at it.

"Where did you get this?" Seto asked. Mokuba looked at him seriously.

"I found it on the ground. By an alley. At night." Seto was about to ask himhow and whyhe had snuck out to so late, but decided that this was not the best time to argue.

"Mokuba, this has fingerprints on it. It might be evidence. I'll send it to the police tomorrow, ok?"

"But, Seto, Don't you have a device that reads fingerprints?"

"Just let the police do their own job, ok Mokuba? That means no more sneaking out too." Mokuba sighed.

"Ok Seto, I won't." But as Mokuba left the room, he was already thinking about how he was going to get out of the house again.

When Mokuba left the room, Seto closed his door, and locked it. He stared at the card, then he held it above the shredder, and dropped it in. "Oops," he said, and he threw the shredded pieces away.

Yami and Serenity went over to the card shop. They decided that they wouldn't discuss what had happened. Yugi, Tea, Tristen, and Duke were in Yugi's room. When Yami and Serenity came in, only Yugi and Tea looked up. "Hey, you guys," said Yugi. "How are you? How was the sleepover?"

"We're ok, and it went fine." said Serenity. Yami noticed that she was trying really hard not to grin.

"And, what did you do at the sleepover?" asked Duke in a low voice. Yami was about to answer him, but Serenity spoke again. _"She's defending me,"_he thought.

"We watched a few movies, and talked."

"What did you talk about?" asked Tristen. Yami noticed that Serenity was getting annoyed. This time, Yami spoke.

"We were talking about next school year mostly. Well, she did all of the talking."

"Seeing as a five-thousand year old pharaoh doesn't need to go to high school," said Duke. Everybody stared at Duke. Yami was going to add that he only had the body of a late teen, and he noticed that he had grown a few inches taller, but he didn't think that would help. Without saying anything, he walked into his room, and slammed the door. Duke looked at everybody staring at him, and got up. "Well, I guess nobody wants me here," he said, and he began to walk out of the room. Tea grabbed him. "Hold on, Duke! Why are you being such a jerk about this? It's no big deal!" Serenity walked out of Yugi's room, and out of the card shop, into the night. Duke broke free of Tea's grasp, and walked down, following her. She was walking faster now. He grabbed her, and yelled in her face. **"What did he do to you? I know that you were lying back there! TELL THE TRUTH!"**

**"HE LOVED ME LIKE YOU NEVER COULD, YOU DUMBASS!"** Serenity yelled, and she slapped Duke hard on the cheek. They stared at each other for a long time, then Serenity began to cry. She ran away, leaving Duke standing there, tears falling down his own face. He didn't wipe them away.


	9. The Blind Truth

When Tea, Yugi, and Tristen got up, they noticed that Duke and Yami weren't there. Not really a big surprise to them, after what happened last night.

Yugi turned the TV on. He was about to watch his favorite program, but it was interrupted by a special news report. Everyone listened.

"Maximillian Pegasus was killed last night, in a dark alley. He was found with blood pouring from his eyes, mouth, and fingertips, unmistakably the work of the mysterious Shadowman."

"But, why would the Shadowman attack Pegasus?" asked Tea.

"Because he could," said Tristen. But, Yugi had other thoughts. _"There's something similar about these people. I've got it!"_ Yugi spoke. "You guys, I just noticed something about the people who are targets."

"What is it?" asked Tea.

"All of the people who are targets are people who couldn't get their hearts desire."

"What do you mean?" Tea asked, but before Yugi could answer, the news came back on.

"Speaking of the Shadowman, it seems that we've caught him at last. President of the Kaiba Corperation, Seto Kaiba is being charged for murdering Pegasus..."

**"WHAT!"** All three of them shouted at the screen.

"...Duke Develin was found at the scene, tackling Kaiba to the ground. We asked him how he caught Kaiba. "He was wearing a black onyx ring," Duke replied to us. "I thought it might be what caused him to disappear, so I pulled it off of his finger, and tackled him down." It turns out that Develin was partly right. The ring was what made them disappear, but it is an invisability ring, that Kaiba must've secretly been working on. He..."

"It figures. Why can't Duke just stay out of people's buisness?" asked Tristan.

"I have a bigger question. Why did Kaiba do it?" asked Tea.

"Yami, I think that we should go visit Mokuba," said Serenity, as they both watched the morning news. "He probably feels really lonely now, even if the Kaiba Corp. workers help him out."

"I'm sure they will," said Yami. "But I agree. Let's go."

Yami and Serenity walked up the street, to the Kaiba mansion. Serenity knocked on the door. No one answered. "Mokuba, are you in here?" She opened the door.

The mansion wasn't as big as they thought it was, just fancy looking. They walked into the living room, to find Mokuba, pale faced and tears falling down his face. His eyes were staring at the TV screen. Serenity walked over, and hugged Mokuba. "Don't worry, Mokuba, you'll be ok." But Mokuba didn't take his eyes off of the screen. "No," he said. "They're all wrong."

"What?" asked Yami.

"It's impossible. Seto can't be there..." Mokuba's voice trailed off.

"What's wrong?" asked Serenity. Mokuba looked at her, then pointed to Seto's room. Serenity and Yami walked to Seto's room, and opened the door. There, lying on the floor, was Seto's mangled body. He had a knife in his hand, and blood was coming from a slit in his neck. Serenity screamed.


	10. Don't Always Believe What You See

"I don't get it. Why would Kaiba kill himself?" asked Serenity, as they explained this to the others. They all met at the Kaiba mansion.

"And, if Kaiba is dead, then who did I send to jail?" asked Duke. He had joined them, after getting a call on his cell phone from Tea.

"Aparently, nobody," said Tristen. He turned up the TV.

"According to police authorities, The mysterious Shadowman has escaped once again. It was reported last night, that former CEO Seto Kaiba committed suicide, by slicing his neck. This means, that the murderer who we arrested the previous day was not Seto Kaiba, and who the real Shadowman is remains a mystery to us all. The escape was reported when an officer found two guards dead in the Shadowman's cell, and Seto asleep in his jailbed. However, with further examination, the men found a ruby ring on the floor, that apparently creates holograms, for when the officer accidentally stepped on it, the Seto in his bed faded. We will be investigating on how he escaped. In other news..."

"Hologram? But, I touched him!" said Duke.

"Sounds like something Seto was trying to invent, doesn't it?" said Tea. Everyone thought about this.

"But, if Seto didn't do it, then, who's using his technology?" asked Mokuba.

"Well, we'll find out sooner or later," said Yugi.

Mai sat on a nearby bench. It was late at night, and rain was pouring hard. She cried. She didn't know what to do. She felt so lost.

'Go on with our lives, and lose those things behind.'

Mai looked into the darkness. Suddenly, she saw something. A dark figure was walking up the street in front of her. He didn't seem to notice her. She got up, and followed him. She was right behind him, when she said, "Where are you going?" He didn't answer her. Anger rose inside of Mai, and she yelled, "You killed the one person I loved, and I demand to know who you are!"

The figure stopped. He spoke in a familiar voice. "I think you might be mistaken." Mai's eyes widened, and before she could stop herself, she pulled down the hood of the stranger. He turned around, a pale face, brown eyes and wild blonde hair, staring back at her. Mai gasped, and fell backward on the ground, shocked. She did not believe what her eyes were seeing.

'Wrapped around in lies, we stand there voiceless.'

Joey bent down, and grabbed Mai's hand. His hand was cold. "Don't always believe what you see at first, Mai."

"So, it's really you, Wheeler?"

"The one and only." Joey pulled Mai to her feet, and she hugged him tight.

"I missed you so much! Without you, my life has been so worthless."

'We want to leave our lives, until we find a way.'

Joey ran his fingers in her hair, grinning. "I know a way that we can always be there for each other, Mai." Joey's eyes shone white for a second. Mai looked up at him, giving him a trancelike stare.

"Really?"

"Really. But, you have to trust me, ok?"

"Anything to be with you, Joey." Joey took Mai's hand. They continued walking up the street, Mai staring at Joey. This was the happiest day of her life. Joey led her into a nearby alley, where another figure was wating at the end.

"Who's that?" asked Mai.

"A friend," said Joey. All Mai could make out were shining, purple eyes in the dark. When they got to the end of the alley, the man spoke.

"You found one," he said. He was holding something sharp and bloody, a stake, only there was something shining gold at the top.

"Yes. She's ready to go," said Joey. He faced Mai. His eyes looked a little sad. He whispered, "Don't worry, Mai. I promise that you'll be with me when this is all over. I need you to close your eyes, and think of your favorite duel monster, ok?"

Mai nodded, and did what she was told. The man handed Joey the stake. "You know what to do," he said. Joey raised it, aiming at her chest.

'Searching for the light, for eternity.'

Joey sent the stake through her heart. It glowed white hot, and Mai screamed in terror, as pain rushed through every cell in her body. It felt like somebody had pinched every nerve in her body at once, then bathed her in battery acid. And then, it was gone. Mai's lifeless body landed on the ground, blood gushing from her eyes, mouth, and fingertips. Joey withdrew the stake. It stopped glowing, and the wound in Mai's chest disappeared.

Joey's eyes glowed white. "I warned her." He handed the man the stake. They both laughed, and disappeared.


	11. Revealed

"Ok, this has gone way too far," said Duke. They had all gone to Yugi's to sleep over. "First Joey, then Pegasus, then Mai, and tons of other people. Somebody's got to stop this madness."

"It's not fair!" said Serenity, pounding her fist on the table. "None of those people deserved to die!"

"It's turning out to be like Yugi said," said Tea. "All of the people who couldn't get to their heart's desire are targets. But, why?"

"Maybe it's just a coincidence," said Tristen. "Maybe their heart's desire has nothing to do with it."

"Or, maybe that's how they're going to get back at us," said Yami, as he walked into the room. "This Shadowman has bigger plans than killing people, I'm sure."

Yugi yawned. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm tired. I'll see you guys tommorrow." He walked into his room, and shut the door. Serenity and Yami walked into Yami's room, and shut the door. Tristen stayed up watching TV, while Tea slept on the couch, and Duke slept on the floor.

Hours later, Duke woke up. He felt like something was wrong. He got up, passing Tristen, asleep in the chair, the TV still on. He grabbed his jacket, and left.

Serenity woke up and opened the door, to get a drink. She looked at the bed that Duke had made on the floor. Then, it hit her. She ran down stairs, not bothering to do it silently. She ran off into the night.

Yami heard thumping, as Serenity ran down the stairs. He looked at her empty bed. "Ren?" He got up, looking all around the house. He couldn't find her. He walked to the front door, and opened it. He didn't see her anywhere. _"Oh no,"_ he thought, and he ran as fast as he could.

Serenity ran down a few streets, then turned a corner, and she saw it. The Shadowman was talking to Duke. He seemed to be in a trancelike state. Serenity ran to Duke, and yelled, "Don't kill him! He has a heart's desire!" Serenity ran up and kissed Duke. The Shadowman stepped back. Duke awoke from his trancelike state. He looked at Ren, then saw the Shadowman, and he backed away, shoving Ren behind him. The Shadowman walked closer. "I didn't want to show this to you, Serenity, but it seems I have no choice," he said, and he lowered his hood.

Serenity fell to her knees, tear running down her face. Her whole childhood was flashing before her eyes. She never thought it would end like this at all. _"I'm going crazy,"_ she thought. _"I'm halluccinating. None of this is really happening."_ Joey grabbed her hand, staring into her eyes. "Serenity, come with me." He smiled at her. She got up.

**"SERENITY!"** Yami ran to her, and grabbed her, pulling her back from Joey. It broke the trance, and Serenity screamed as she looked into the face of her decaying brother. Duke tried to tackle him, but a strong force shoved him, and he flew backward, landing hard on his back in the road. The man with purple eyes walked out of the alley, his white hair shining in the light. In his hand, he held up the Millenium Rod.

"Marik!" yelled Yami. "How did you get the rod back! We had it!"

Marik smiled. "Oh, I have my ways, Pharaoh. And, it turned out that is was worth having the rod in the end. See? it brought us all together." Marik raised the rod. A strong power was coming from it. Yami looked around. A foul stench of rotting flesh was in the air. Living dead bodies were surrounding them, including Pegasus, and Mai. Their eyes shone white.

"Ever heard of Necromancy, Pharaoh?" Marik laughed.


	12. Dice

"Where did you get that power?" asked Yami. Marik laughed.

"It's simple, really. The millenium rod has a secret weapon." Marik pulled out the bottom of the rod to reveal a golden stake, red with blood. "This weapon helps me extract duel monsters from people's souls. But, that's not what I'm using it for. I visited an old friend back in Egypt. I don't think Osiris will mind if I borrow a little of his power."

Yami stared. "You found the lost tomb of Osiris?"

"Yes. I bet there are others too, and by the time I've taken their powers, the world will already be wrapped in shadows." Marik smiled.

**"MARIK!"** They looked over to see Tea, Yugi and Tristen, fighting through the crowd of the undead. Tristen got through, and pulled Tea from their grasp, Yugi following behind. Then, he looked over to Marik. "We should've known it was you! What have-" But Tristen stopped as he saw Joey. Tea and Yugi stared at him too. Marik laughed.

"What's the matter, you guys? Aren't you glad to see Joey again?" Joey's eyes flashed white. Duke got up from the ground, rubbing his back. Seeing that Marik was distracted, he ran into the crowd of the undead, shoving them away, hard, and turning the corner. He rummaged through his pockets, searching for something.

Yami was whispering to Serenity. "You know what you have to do, right?"

"Yes. I do. But, I'm not afraid of doing it."

"Then, we'll fight together, unafraid." Yami smiled at Serenity.

Suddenly, something exploded from the left, and undead soldiers flew backward, falling to the ground, stiff. Marik turned his head. "What's going on!" He shouted. There were few more explosions, more undead soldiers falling. Suddenly, something hit the back of Marik's head hard, and he stumbled, letting go of the rod. Marik looked into the alley. Duke was standing there, holding grey dice in one hand, and golden ones in the other.

"Dice...is there anything they can't do?" He smiled, and threw the grey ones. They exploded, and smoke went everywhere. Serenity took this opportunity, and ran over to the rod, grabbing it before Marik, and she held it up. Marik laughed. "What are you going to do, kill me?"

"I'm not aiming for you!" Serenity yelled, and she ran at Joey, ready to hit him, but he disappeared. _"A realistic hologram!"_ Serenity thought. She looked down the street. Joey was running away. "Oh no you don't!" Serenity ran after him. Marik tried to follow, but Duke whacked him in the head again with golden dice. Marik turned around. "You wanna fight, tough guy?"

"Bring it on!" Duke yelled. His body began to glow.

Serenity ran after Joey. They headed for the now empty cemetery. She cornered him, and he turned around, staring at her. His eyes were white, but sad. Serenity held up the stake. "I know you can hear me, Joey. I didn't want to do this, but I have to. For the sake of the world. Will you help me? Please?"

"Serenity..." Joey whispered in a raspy voice. Suddenly, something kicked Ren hard in the back, and she fell over, letting the rod fall in the grass. She turned around, and she saw Mai holding the rod, her eyes white, her face pale. Serenity got up. "Give it to me, Mai." Serenity's body began to glow. Mai lunged at her.


	13. Spirit Monsters

Serenity waited for death, but it never came. She looked up. A shield of light stood between her and the rod. Mai stepped back. Serenity looked to her side, to see the Mystical Elf protecting her with a spell. _"Of course,"_ Serenity thought. _"She must be my spirit monster!"_ The elf chanted again, and sent a spell at Mai. It hit the rod, which shot from her hand, and fell in the grass. Serenity ran to it as fast as she could, and dived for it, grabbing it. She turned around to look at Mai. "Don't move, or I'll do it." The Mystical Elf was at her side, chanting away a defensive spell, just in case Mai attacked.

All of the undead soldiers lay on the ground, defeated by Duke's dice bombs. Tea, Yugi, and Tristen watched Duke and Marik. Yami said that he was going to find Serenity, and ran down the street. Duke faced Marik, his body still glowing. Marik was surprised. "What are you doing? Why are you glowing like that? Answer me!" Duke smiled.

"I just got an interesting idea." Duke called out to his spirit monster with his mind. A harpy brother appeared at his side. Marik was angry. **"You already know how to use a spirit monster! Fine!"** Marik began to glow too, but before he could summon his monster, three large attacks hit him in the back. He turned around to see the Lady of Faith, the Cyber Commander, and the Dark Magician all shooting attacks at him. While he was distracted, the harpy brother slashed his back, and he yelled in pain, falling to the ground. Duke, Yugi, Tristen, and Tea surrounded him, their spirit monsters at their sides.

Serenity stared at Mai, watching her every move. She had to wait until the time was right, or this wouldn't work. Suddenly, a duel monster knocked Mai over from behind her. Maha Vailo was attacking her. Yami was standing there, staring at Ren. This was her chance. She looked at Joey, and there eyes met. Then, Serenity ran over to Joey. "I love you," she whispered, and she plunged the stake into his chest. Serenity closed her eyes tight, but the shriek of pain never happened. She looked around. The undead soldiers and the spirit monsters were gone. Yami took her hand, and they walked over to the others, who were watching as police came to take Marik away after Duke called them on his cell phone. They would never know the full story.

The Millenium Rod lay in the grass, forgotten.


	14. Dear Diary

Two days later, Serenity lay at home, writing in her diary. A diamond ring was on her finger, glittering in the light.

_Dear diary,_

_Yesterday, we celebrated the defeat of Marik. Of course, we also celebrated something else._

_I talked to Duke about the kiss that I gave him earlier, and I told him that I was sorry, but it wasn't true. He nodded in an understanding way. Later, we had a party at the Kaiba Mansion, because we decided to pay Mokuba another visit. He's surprisingly a lot happier now. I guess some people heal faster than others. I was talking to Tea, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yami talking to Duke. He was showing him something. Duke nodded, and smiled. I guessed that they were calling a truce. But that wasn't all._

_Yami asked me if he could talk to me. I said yes. He grabbed my hand and took me away from Tea, to the middle of the room. And then, the most amazing thing happened. He kneeled down, and held out a small black box containing a diamond ring. He was proposing to me, in front on everybody! If he was any other guy, I probably would've waited longer. But, there's something about Yami, that I can't put my finger on. He's not just any other guy. I decided that couldn't say no. He hugged me, and kissed me. Everybody was cheering. I think he was happier than I was that day._

_Well, that ends my adventure with my friends. I'm still sad about Joey and Mai's deaths, but now that I am engaged, my life is happy again. I still have the dog tag, I cleaned it off though. I'll keep in until I die._

_Well, I'm tired now, so I'm going to go to bed. If there's one thing I learned in this adventure, it's that no matter what situation, love, hope, and courage can save you from the lies that dare to haunt you. But, I just have one more question. Is it really over?_

At midnight, the night was quiet. If you were outside by the cemetery, you would know that it wasn't over yet. Somebody was searching for something. He was a pretty tall man. He seemed to have found what he was looking for. He laughed as he picked up the rod. "Now that that's over, I can continue what I started. I'm not usually a kind man, but thanks for the distraction, Marik. I'll continue to take spirit monsters from people's souls. Soon, duel monsters will be much more than a game. The man laughed, and left the cemetery silently. As he walked down the street, he dropped something. A ruby ring hit the sidewalk and shone. For a second, it showed the dead body of a 17 year old, with brown hair, and blue eyes, a slit in his throat, and a knife in his hand. Then, it cracked, and the image disappeared.

The tall man walked down the street, his white trenchcoat bright in the dark. Clearly, it wasn't over yet.

Well, that's my fic! Thanks for reading, you guys! I'm thinking about writing a sequel, but I want to know what you guys think before I do, so let me know!


	15. Ending Poem, or maybe a beginning?

To end this fanfic, I decided to add a poem. I hope you enjoy. This might be the beginning of a new fic. :)

Living in a darkened world,

We still can't see what's really there,

And after all the tears are shed,

We might not still be here.

Shadows stalk below the morning,

Carrying what death could be,

My heart's been dead for quite a while,

Maybe they will come find me.

A shadow wrapped in lies,

A death wish calling you,

I've looked it in the eyes,

No light could save you now.

We run into the night,

Chains rattle on our wrists,

Searching for a key,

That never did exist.

We walk into a corner,

When there's no way out,

We see the glint of gold,

But can't find what's already gone.

A shadow wrapped in lies,

A death wish calling you,

I've looked it in the eyes,

Confusion mixed with happiness.

With love and friends, we do prevail,

But wait, did you say wedding veil?

A happy ending after all,

Now to wait until we fall.

I'm remembering what's been said,

A courageous fight against the dead,

But whispers dance around the air,

I still don't think we know what's there.

A shadow wrapped in lies,

A death wish calling you,

I've looked it in the eyes,

But the truth's still hidden here.

- Serenity Wheeler


End file.
